Love is dangerous
by Calyptra
Summary: Vincent Keller is a smart mathematician, who turned his knowledge into profit. However an event in his life caused him to shut down any possibility of romance and happiness and only focus on his carreer. A strip club is going to change his life drastically. Secrets are going to make their way to the surface. Rated M for language, sexual conent and mention of crime. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1 - Palais d' Amour

**_Love is dangerous_**

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ I clearly shouldn't be doing this. I know that I have already three stories going and I rarely update lately, because of lack of time. The thing is that I have quite a few ideas for new stories and this particular one has been hunting me the past few days. _Reversed_ is more difficult to write. After twelve chapters I slowly will start revealing more information on Catherine's condition. I have to be careful to be consistent, so in order to update a chapter with a satisfying length, a lot of time is required. That is why I chose to write the first chapter of this story instead. There are no beasts, so it is less complicated. Don't worry though, I promise to update _Reversed_ this weekend!_

_This idea for this story came from a Greek TV show. It will not have much to do with the show itself as I am taking a completely different direction. Also, the idea of Vincent's job in the one is from another TV show, but this is all that I am taking from that show as well._

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own any of the characters from Beauty and the Beast or the ideas from __Μπρούσκο__ and __Κλεμμένα__όνειρα__. They belong to their rightful owners. I am just borrowing and developing them to create my own fan fiction._

_**Warning: **__If you are not comfortable with issues like child abuse, murder, prostitution and striptease, then this story might not be quite right for you. Not everything mentioned above will be described thoroughly, but some situations will, so I am rating this story "M".  
_

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**Chapter 1 – Palais d'Amour  
**

Vincent was sitting in his office. It was ten p.m. and he probably should be heading home, but there always was more than enough work waiting for him. He was twenty-eight years old and already a very successful businessman. He came from a rich family, but had refused to take their money to start business. His father was a terrible man, smart but terrible. He wanted to own Vincent, just like he wanted to own everything. When Vincent announced that he was interested in mathematics instead of studying something which would allow him to lead the family's corporation, Michael Keller threatened to disinherit him.

But Vincent was strong. He had better ideals than money. He gladly refused his heritage to follow his dreams and he succeeded. With his astonishing qualifications he earned a scholarship for one of the most prestigious colleges worldwide, which excelled in mathematics.

Now he was sitting at an expensive, heavy desk. His leather chair was worth more than the furniture of an entire apartment. Vincent looked around in his office. He had earned his wealth with his sharp mind and was able to keep it thanks to J.T., his best friends. If it wasn't for him, Vincent would have lost it all in his dark years.

He shuddered remembering it. Slowly he unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and took out a picture. With a sigh he caressed the face in it. His eyes were filled with sadness.

"Can't believe you are still working, buddy! Come on, it's Friday night! Let's got out, have some fun. You know what "fun" is, right? I don't need to bring you a dictionary, do I?" a man in great mood entered the room.

Vincent quickly locked the picture away.

"I saw it, V, no need to hide it. You have to stop this, man. She won't come back," the man's mood dropped.

"I know J.T., I know. I just thought of something that reminded me of her," Vincent sighed, "did you want anything in particular?"

"Yeah, the guys and I are going out for some fun tonight. I was hoping you would join us this time," J.T. said although there wasn't much hope in his voice.

"Come on man, you know the answer, so why do you even bother?" Vincent stated the obvious.

"No, V, not this time. It has been five years. You need to start living. This job isn't everything your life should be about. You are young; you are handsome, successful and smart. Go out there and _live," _J.T. insisted.

When he saw that Vincent was about to object again he continued: "Do it for me. I need my best friend back."

That hit a nerve. J.T. could see the guilt creeping in Vincent's eyes. He had neglected his friend and he knew it.

"Alright, where are we going?" he sighed in defeat.

"It's a surprise!" J.T. grinned.

* * *

"Come on man, seriously?" Vincent grunted. They were standing in front of the "Palais d' Amour"; a strip club.

"Relax, bro. You are single, so what is your problem?" Zach punched him on the shoulder.

"I don't go to places like that," Vincent said through his death.

"Well, you don't go anywhere," Daniel pointed out, "so this place is as good as any. Now stop complaining and get going!"

Vincent closed his eyes, lowered his head and sighed in defeat. Then he took a deep breath and moved towards the entrance.

The place was full. Either it had very good reputation or men visited those places too much in general. It was dark and warm, colorful lights were adding to the atmosphere. It looked quite classy if someone considered what it actually was.

"Sit down and enjoy, big guy. We brought you to the country's most famous strip club. These chicks make more tips in a night than some people in a month," Zach pushed him down on a comfortable couch and sat beside him.

"Yeah, especially their little star," Daniel winked.

Just in that moment a lady entered the stage. She was probably in her sixties, so hopefully not one of the strippers. Given her age, Vincent was surprised by her outfit. She was showing more cleavage than most of the 25-year-olds he knew. Her dress was long, had a very large cut right up to her hip, though. It was a deep purple, which she matched with silver high heels. He wondered how she was able to walk on them, they were at least 5 inches. Her make-up was very extreme and her hair had a professional touch.

"Ladies and Gentlemen; or should I just say gentlemen," she laughed at her own joke. Her voice sounded even older than her face looked. Vincent guessed that it were the cigarettes. They were a bad habit, one he had quit years ago. "I have the honor to announce our most special girl. Please, give a big applause for Jasmine!"

Vincent didn't understand this exaggeration. She was just a stripper just like anyone else in there. God knew what had made her to take this job. He was about to turn to his left to J.T. and make a comment on how advertisement was rule number one in every business, when Jasmine stepped on the stage. Vincent's eyes grew wide and his mouth opened slightly. In the back of his head there was the sensation that he was forgetting something. He realized what it was when he inhaled sharply. He had been holding his breath involuntarily.

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ So who is Jasmine and who is the woman in the photo? Will our conservative V like the strip club after all? Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you!_


	2. Chapter 2 - Jasmine

_**Love is **__**dangerous**_

_**Author's note: **__ Thank you very much for your reviews and follows! They made me want to upload almost immediately! Warning: this chapter will be pretty much about striptease and how it affects our very prude Vincent._

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Jasmine**

Vincent couldn't believe his eyes. He was looking at the most beautiful creature on earth. She was dressed in a very revealing overall. It was quite short and allowed a good sight at her breasts that even though small were very well formed. Handcuffs were attached to her belt and had a Police patch on her left breast. Fishnet tights were hugging her trained legs and black leather, high heel boots were going up to her knees. The whole outfit was rounded by a hat and glittery make up. Vincent could already feel the effect she had on him. His pants were very painfully tight. He was surprised. This whole thing wasn't his style at all. He wasn't the type of man to go to a strip club to get an eye full. Yet he was hooked, but not only because of her body. Her face was from another world. She had very petite features and it was evident that her origin had to be partly Asian. It only made her look more beautiful, like she had picked carefully the best attributes from each continent. Her hazel eyes were like nothing he had seen before. He was out of words when it came to describing them. Beautiful or gorgeous weren't strong enough words.

Before he could analyze her face any further Jasmine's song started to play and her moves forced him to look from her gorgeous face to her hips. Soon his eyes grew wider and his erection larger when Jasmine turned around and presented them her backside. Even through the fabric he could see that she had a very well formed derriere; and the way she was swaying it, damn was she giving him a hard time.

All of a sudden she reached up to her head and with a graceful movement the hat landed to her right on the dance floor. Vincent couldn't believe how it could look so erotic when someone threw a hat!

Jasmine turned in the direction she threw her hat brought her hand to her face, slightly touching her forehead. She started rolling her body creating a wave which started at her breasts and ended at her hips. During that she lowered her hand, letting it linger at her right breast, to her lower body. From there she moved it to her right buttock and started swaying sensually from the left to the right.

With a swift movement of her left leg she was facing now the crow who cheered. She had disconnected her handcuffs from the belt while turning and was holding them outstretched in front of her body in height of her private parts. She was still swaying her hips from one side to the other. Suddenly she freed the handcuffs from her left hand swaying it in the other while lowering her body in a swaying manner until she was in a crouch. From there she straightened her legs really fast, pushing her butt back and her breasts into the direction of the crowd in front of her that was going mad. Vincent had forgotten how to breathe by now. He didn't even catch how his friends were exchanging knowing looks and having a silent discussion.

She switched hands and brought her now free hand to her right cheek and while rolling her body like in the beginning she handcuffed herself slowly leaving the other and hanging along her arm. During this procedure she was looking down. Now she lifted her head abruptly, smiled slightly and movements matching the rhythm of the music she hurried to the dance pole, grabbed it with both her hands and let her body rotate around it while kinking her legs to the back. She landed on her knees and pushed her legs even further apart. Vincent couldn't take his eyes off of her as she slowly lifted herself up with the support of the dance pole. Not forgetting to drive the men crazy in the process she undid her belt and zipped her overall open. She turned her back to the crowd and slid gracefully out of it. She leaned back on the pole and reached back to rest her hands against it, just above her head. Again she created a wave with her body. It seemed to be her favorite move and she was pretty good in it. Vincent gulped in the side of her half backside. She was dressed only in black leather underwear now.

She took a few sensual steps away from the pole and the crowd only to turn around run towards it again and spin her body around it. This time she stretched both her legs in spilt and while her body lowered she embraced the pole with her left leg while positioning her right leg in the same way behind her body. Vincent was breathing heavily by now. He wanted her and he wanted her badly.

She did a few more tricks one better than the other. When she mad a spilt while she was upside down Vincent was sure he couldn't take anymore, but then she hooked in her leg and twisted the other one in the opposite direction. She was holding her weight with her leg and one hand. The other was stretched to the length of the pole while she was facing it. Like she wanted to impress him even more she turned in this position so she was facing away from it stretched her legs out and rotated slowly around the pole while lowering her body until her back touched the ground. Lying down she roamed her hands along her own body, moving it to the rhythm of the music. She turned around to sit up on all four. She crawled seductively towards the shouting and cheering men presenting them her cleavage, which was quickly filled with money. This action kind of brought Vincent back to reality. She wasn't dancing only for him. These past minutes he was so lost in her dance that he forgot about the other men. He started to get angry. He didn't want them to see her. He wanted her to be his, to dance like this only for him. He was disgusted by the thought that all those men wanted to do to her the exact same things that he wanted. The thought that to her he was just another customer, if she even noticed him, dawned on him. That is when he realized that his friend Zach just returned. He hadn't even noticed that he left or for how long he was gone.

These thoughts left his mind though as soon as she started with new tricks on the dance pole. When she squeezed the pole between her buttocks stretched her body completely out and supported her weight only with the muscles in her upper legs and her derriere, he had to grip onto the couch to not to stand up and claim her as his.

He couldn't tell what came after that. Everything was in a haze. He saw her body move in front of him and he liked what he saw, but he couldn't tell what she did exactly. Applause brought him back to himself and he saw that the elder lady was whispering something in Jasmine's ear on the stage. He caught that she motioned her head towards him. He was sure that he was mistaken, but then Jasmine nodded briefly, bowed one more time and made her way to the crowd. Her destination was clearly the table where he was sitting. Vincent's eyes grew wide, his mouth watered and he had to gulp.

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ So what did the woman say to Jasmine and why is she walking towards Vincent. Most important, _what_ is she going to do to him. Poor Vincent doesn't look like he can handle any more. Is a woman like Jasmine too much for our Mathematician?_

_Don't worry sooner rather than later there will be information on their lives, but let them play a little first. ;)_

_Let me know what you think of it!_


	3. Chapter 3 - Don't touch me

_**Love is dangerous**_

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ I am so glad that you liked the last chapter despite the errors. I was pretty shocked when I re-read it and saw how many I did. I promise to correct them as soon as possible, but I figured that since you didn't seem to mind, you would prefer a new chapter first; especially after Msolsun wrote me a private message to ask for an update. You are the sweetest person on earth, thank you so much for your support and kind words!_

_As you have seen I have been absent for quite a time now and I will continue to be absent for a view more weeks. Today I had my first exam for this semester, so I figured that I should treat myself with a new chapter. _If _I update in the next weeks it will be either for Reversed, Second change or Freak of the week (you can tell me what you prefer). Sorry, but I need to be fair to the people who are supporting those stories._

_In the end of the month I will travel abroad for several weeks. I will try to update all four stories every two weeks (so 2 chapters per week). I hope that I'll manage._

_I hope to be able to go back to updating regularly soon, till then be patient, please!_

_So, here it goes. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Don't touch me**

Vincent's eyes grew even wider when Jasmine was finally standing in front of him. She winked and in a very professional, quick move she handcuffed him to herself.

Vincent's jaw dropped and his breath caught.

Jasmine chuckled, clearly amused by his reaction.

"Come on, sexy. It is a little crowded in here, don't you think?" she said in a seductive voice.

Vincent almost lost it to the sound of it. Soft like velvet but still somehow playful. If there was something like the perfect, feminine voice out there it probably would be hers.

Not being able to think clearly at the moment, he followed her obediently, registering the jealous looks of the other men subconsciously.

She had called him sexy. _Sexy._ He desperately tried to remind himself, that to her he was just a client and she was using this nickname very often. She probably just picked him because he was ogling the most.

Jasmine led them into a private room. The decoration was similar to the main room of the club; dark, sensual colors.

She closed the door and pushed him on a very comfortable red couch. Vincent didn't know how to react. He had never been to a strip club before. Even in his darkest years, when he did things he wasn't proud of, he never set foot in such a place. He didn't know how to act, what he was expected to do. Why did she pick him? Had Zach anything to do with it or did she just choose him and expected him to pay a standard price if he stayed?

All these thoughts left his mind as soon as she closed the door and hit a button on the music player. Soft, erotic music filled the room and Jasmine, still looking away from him began swaying her hips.

She was still only in her underwear and high-heeled boots. Slowly and seductively she walked towards him and Vincent gulped; not for the first time that evening

Finally reaching him, she turned her back to him, swaying her hips from the left to the right while lifting up her hair with her hands. Vincent clutched the couch.

Jasmine quickly turned around resting one leg beside him, letting her hand travel from her knee to her tight and then further to her stomach and breasts. Vincent tensed and she caught it.

She rested her hands on his chest, pushed him back and whispered in his ear: "Relax!"

Vincent let out the breath he had been holding and did as she ordered.

The show continued. Jasmine was dancing like nothing he had ever seen before and she was dancing only for him.

At some point she straddled his lap doing again her famous wave.

Vincent started breathing heavily. Before he could realize what was happening, he had put his hand on her bottom, squeezing it. His fingers were slightly between her legs in the process.

The next thing he knew was that he was pinned against the floor, his hand twisted on his back, as well as Jasmine's knee pressed against his spine. She moved her knee to press it against his arm so she could free one of her hands. She used it to grab his hair in a way that he was forced to look up.

"No touching! That was the deal!" she hissed.

"I –ow- I don't know what you are talking about? What deal?" Vincent wanted to say more but she didn't let him. Instead she pushed harder with her leg and pulled his hair with more force.

"OW, dammit! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that. But I don't know what deal you are talking about!" he hissed in pain.

Her grip relaxed slightly, but she remained cautious, holding him in place.

"I'm sorry," he repeated as soon as he felt the pressure decreasing," I don't know what I was thinking. It's just…I haven't been in a strip club before and-"

"You don't honestly want me to believe that you haven't been in a strip club in your entire life." she interrupted him.

"I swear. Ask my friends"

She moved aside, so he could sit.

"Thank you," he sincerely said.

She looked at him confused. Her eyes were piercing holes in his as if she wanted to see right through him. At some point she finally relaxed; and laughed.

"Jesus, I never thought that I would meet a strip club virgin in your age," she chuckled.

"Very funny. Now about that deal you mentioned before…"

"The manager came to me and said that you were supposed to have a private show. He told me that he explained the rules."

"Well not to me, since I didn't ask for a private show. I mean, no offense, you a_re_ by far the most beautiful creature in this building, but I prefer it when a woman strips for me because she wants and not because she gets paid for it; again no offence intended."

"Well than one of your friends did and didn't bother to mention to you, that in my case there is no touching."

* * *

Eventually, they called the manager as well as Vincent's friends. Explanations were giving, apologies told and accepted and the group of men was leaving after some brief small talk and laughing.

"Oh man that was embarrassing. Sorry, bro, I should have said something. But who would have thought that little Mr. I-don't-go-to-strip-clubs here would grab her ass? Damn, I didn't," Zach laughed.

"Could you talk a little bit more respectful? Jesus…" Vincent complaint clearly annoyed.

"Hey, you were the one who did it in the first place, not me!" Zach defended himself.

Vincent stopped in his tracks. "You know what? You're right!" he said and turned around.

"Hey, where are you going?" JT asked confused.

But Vincent didn't answer. He just stormed back in, walked straight to the manager and a few minutes later he was knocking on a door.

"Just a moment," a lovely voice said through the closed door and soon after that she stood in front of him.

"Vincent" she whispered surprised.

"Go out with me, Jasmine," he simply said, his voice full of hope and determination.

* * *

**Author's note: **_ I want to apologies if I have offended any man out there who might be reading this. I am not of the opinion that all of you are going every evening in a strip club and it isn't bad if you do. I just used this stereotype for the benefit of my story._

_I know that this one was a shorty again, but hey better than nothing right? Besides I wanted a little "cliffhanger". Will she go out with him or will he have to try harder?_

_Why do you think Jasmine reacted so extremely when he touched her? Will Vincent be able to get through to her? And most important, does he even want her despite the fact that she is a stripper or does he just want to apologies with dinner?_

_If you are worried that our Vincent is too soft, you can relax. For the people out there who love his bad boy version, he has one believe me._

_I saw that you liked the sensual dances but I promise you that there is more to the story than just sexy scenes. There are quite the background stories, so stay tuned to read about them._


	4. Chapter 4 - Threat

_**Love is dangerous**_

**Author's note:**_ I want to thank everybody for their adorable reviews. I know that I said that I would be updating my other stories first, but it isn't that easy. I know what I want to write next in _Reversed_ but it is going to be a delicate chapter, so I want to take my time writing it. Same goes to _Second Chance_, I know where I want to go with the fiction but I am not sure how to develop the next chapter without giving too much away, which I don't want quite yet. As for _Freak of the week_, well I know how I want the story to end, but there is a long way until that and I am just not feeling it in the moment. This chapter on the other hand practically wrote itself, so I will postpone the other two until some time after my exams._

_I made a mistake in the last chapter. I wrote "he" when I referred to the manager, but it is a "she". I hope I didn't confuse you too much. I will correct it in the near future._

_Finally a chapter that is a little bit longer, so I hope you will enjoy it._

_Text in italic script is a flashback._

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Threat**

Vincent was sitting in his office. His thoughts were trailing to Jasmine as very so often in the past three days. He couldn't forget her. He couldn't believe that she had refused him.

_Jasmine let out a chuckle._

"_What's so funny?" he was irritated. He didn't expect this reaction. He wasn't cocky, but normally women responded very well to him. Often he didn't even have to ask. And yet, here she was standing, laughing louder minute by minute._

"_I'm sorry, but you have to admit that asking me on a date while not even knowing my real name is kind of funny. Even more if you consider that I had you pinned on the floor a short time ago," she stated the obvious._

"_Then tell me your name," he urged, ignoring the second part of her explanation._

_Again she chuckled softly. "Now, why would I do that, Mr. Keller?" she teased him. Quicker than he could respond, she shut the door in his face. Stunned, he raised his hand to knock again, but he just let it rest against the door defeated instead._

"Earth to Vincent!" JT brought him roughly back to the present. "Oh there you are. For a minute there I thought, I lost you in Jasmine-land," he teased him once he saw Vincent's head jerk up.

"Very funny, JT!" The truth was that Vincent wasn't amused at all. The fact that JT knew exactly how this woman affected him infuriated him. For years no woman had gotten under his skin. He had female friends; some with benefits, some without. He cared the most for those without. Then he was always able to find women who offered him only the benefits if he liked so. But wasting thoughts on a woman who had rejected him? Never. The worst part was that when he had asked her out he didn't have an one night stand in mind. There was something about this woman. Since the very first glance he wanted her. He just had to have her. She had to be his. The fact that she didn't give him the chance to win her, angered him.

"And gone he is again," JT sighed.

"Is there anything in particular that you wanted, JT, aside from annoying me?" Vincent didn't bother to hide his discomfort.

"Seriously man, you have to talk to her!" JT pressed.

"You hardly came over here to tell me that, did you?" Vincent pointed out.

"As a matter of fact, I came to talk business, but I figured that you wouldn't be in any condition to do business until she says yes to that date, after I saw you zoned out," JT winked at him.

"I'm listening," Vincent ignored the part about the date.

"Someone got to level six. That's the furthest..:"

"The furthest anyone got so far. I know my game, JT. Was it a regular player?" Vincent asked alarmed.

"No, it was quite a newbie. He only started two months ago. He hasn't lost in any level so far, besides from level five. No one else has managed that," JT elaborated.

"Where is he from?" Vincent pressed further, sounding annoyed that his partner wasn't giving him the information without asking.

"He is from New York according to his IP. Thanks to this anonymity crap I can't tell you much more though," JT reminded him.

"I want the records of all the stages he has played so far, including the one he failed in. Tell the technicians to be call, I might need them when I find an improvement for the last five levels," Vincent ordered.

"Jesus, V. It's already seven p.m. It will take hours to work through the records and you want to also work on AARON?" JT was incredulous.

"JT, do you think that our little genius will respect office hours before trying to pass the next level? I don't think so. We can't let him pass another one. He is too close. Level five is the first security obstacle. He can't win the game. We can't afford to lose so much money before the deal in China. Neither can we afford to lose our prestige" Vincent reminded him.

"I know that. But Vincent, level six is nothing compared to the other five. There is a reason why he didn't manage to go any further straight away," JT tried to calm him.

"Well, it will be only a matter of time, if we don't take it seriously," Vincent insisted.

"I almost forgot how thorough you are. Let me take half the records," JT offered.

"No. If you want you can have your own copy and work on it. I have to see all of his work to find out what he is capable of," Vincent disagreed.

"Alright then. I won't take long," JT disappeared out of the office.

Vincent, alone once again surrendered to his thoughts. This time they concerned his company, SOFOS. He was a successful businessman, turning his mathematical knowledge into profit. Aaron wasn't his first game, but it was the most crucial one. He had built his fortune with those games and with the newest one he was taking a great risk. The older games were only there to cover running expanses such as salaries and allowing him to live a comfortable life. They were barely adding to his fortune. AARON was supposed to be his big break through. He had contributed all his knowledge and the most excellent ideas into its design. One had to be an extraordinary mathematician to reach the last levels; and brilliant with information sciences. The price was high if anyone was ever to win it. It would cost Vincent a great amount of his money right now. It also would possibly cost him the deal in China. Of course the bets involved analogical high numbers, which enabled high profit for Vincent and his partner. JT was his expert in information sciences. He checked over Vincent's products and improved them in that area, but the ideas as well as the prototype of the games escaped Vincent's inspired brain. Still, Vincent had made him his partner, second in charge; something that most people didn't understand, JT being one of them. But Vincent knew that he owed his best friend his fortune as much as he owed it to his sharp mind; and possibly his life. He was one of the only two people who knew his secret.

Vincent was already one of the richest men under thirty. He could afford losing this game. He could still live a prosperous life, but he would lose a lot of capital and power. If he could postpone it for another half year, he would be untouchable. The deal with the Chinese would be done and he would become an even greater legend in his field. The game had been running now for over a year. Two years were the mark he had calculated. The point after which cracking the game would barely touch him. And if after three years no one had managed to solve it, it would be taken down. That was the ideal situation as Vincent knew for certain that after that people would be paying him to get the change to crack it. Whoever this person was, Vincent had to make it harder for them.

* * *

JT and Vincent stayed up all night but eventually they found a solution. It was six in the morning when Vincent urged a technician to hurry to work. Now at nine a.m. JT was entering Vincent's office with a huge smile.

"It's done, big guy. This dude has to be a genius to figure it out. Level five is now more difficult than level one was before!" he exclaimed.

"Good job buddy," Vincent approved with a tired voice.

"It was all you, V, as always. I just added the final details," JT pointed out.

"The details are the key," Vincent smiled.

"You should crash for a few hours. The paparazzi will be all over you as soon as they find out."

"You need to rest as well. I will inform Tess to call me if it is urgent."

* * *

JT was right. By noon Tess was overwhelmed by phone calls, so Vincent instructed her to arrange a press conference for six p.m.

The reporters were waiting patiently in a spacious room in SOFOS, designed for such occasions. As Vincent entered, flanked by JT, fidget started amongst the rows. After Vincent took a seat he directed his attention towards his eager guests. "Thank you all for accepting my invitation. Mr. Forbes and I will gladly answer your questions."

That was enough for the crowd to barrage the two friends with questions.

"Mr. Keller, is it true that you altered AARON this morning?"

"Is it true that it is because someone got too close?"

"Are you afraid of losing a great deal if AARON fails to stay on the market?"

"There are rumors that SOFOS is in danger!"

Vincent chuckled lightly. "I believe that by now you should know that I prefer one question at a time. Yes, we altered the game. When I introduced AARON almost one and a half year ago I mentioned that it would be a game in continuous development as most of my products. There had been two upgrades in the past year, although neither was as massive. Every player is informed of this condition during the registration and our current players have received a notification automatically. SOFOS has never been in any danger, so the rumors are not valid. As for the deal, I have never announced one. It is true that one player has gotten remarkably far and I want to congratulate this person. They must be an excellent mathematician. We have been working on this upgrade for quit a time now. Of course the development of the game gave us reason to work faster, but it wasn't the reason of the upgrade."

The last part was a lie and Vincent hated lying. However he had eventually accepted that lying was of great essence in this business.

The both of them answered a few more questions but when the reporters started to take advantage of the meeting to question Vincent about his personal life he ended the session politely.

Back in the office Vincent poured JT and himself some of his finest Scotch to celebrate. They had been in the monitor room and the technician on shift had informed them that their trouble maker had failed the level three times, losing a great amount of the money collected in his account. If he lost one or two times more he would have to use new funds. This would slow him down unless he was wealthy.

"Now that the drama is over, we can talk about the other issue," JT started the conversation.

"Which issue?" Vincent asked although he knew the answer.

"This Jasmine girl."

"JT…"

"No! You will listen to me first, you stubborn fool. I haven't seen you thinking about a woman like that since _her_." Vincent flinched at the last word.

"It hast been five years, V. She would want you to be happy. She won't come back. You've got to start living again!"

"I already asked her out, JT; on a real date. She refused. This was a big step for me It might have been on impulse, but it still was a big step," Vincent explained.

"So? Where is the vigorous Vincent that I know? You are a winner. A charming winner for crying out loud. Go and get her! What are you waiting for?"

* * *

Jasmine had just finished her performance and Tori, the manager, had informed her that there was a customer for her in one of the private rooms. Letting out a sigh she opened the door.

"You," she whispered; her eyes wide with surprise.

* * *

**Author's note:** _So this chapter concentrated on Vincent and his career. I hope it wasn't too boring but I just had to write about this. First because intelligent men are extremely hot :D Second because it is essential to a later plot. And third because I got to mention the secret. What do you think that it is? Is it related to Vincent's "dark years"? Any ideas?_

_They are referring to the player as "he". Short information, they don't know the gender, they just assume, because the male population is more attracted to their products.(There are excellent female mathematician, information scientists and gamers, but are there many that combine all three? I just __**had **__to be a little stereotyped for the sake of the story.)_

_Some of you assume that Jasmine is Catherine. Are you sure? What about the woman JT mentions every so often? She seems to have been very important to him. What do you think happened to her?_

_How do you think is Vincent going to approach Jasmine or is he at all?_

_Let me know what you think of this chapter and offer me some suggestions. I love to read your guesses! Even if they are wrong, they often are very interesting._

_The next one will involve more of Jasmine, I promise._


End file.
